I AM NIGERIA: CELEBRATE ME

To My Fellow Nigerians at 50:  Food for Thought

 

I have enormous tracts of land and vast volumes of water, but cannot feed myself.

So I spend $1 billion to import rice and another $2 billion on milk.

I produce rice, but don’t eat it. I have millions of cows but no milk.

I am 50, please celebrate me.

 

I drive the best cars in the world but have no roads,

so I crush my best brains in the caverns,

craters and crevasses they crash into daily.

I am in unending mourning,

please celebrate me.

My school has no teacher and my classroom has no roof.

I take lectures through windows and live with 15 others in one room.

All my professors have gone abroad, and the rest are awaiting visas.

I am a university graduate, but I am illiterate. I want a future,

please celebrate me.

Preventable diseases send me to hospitals without doctors, medicines or power.

All the nurses have gone abroad and the rest are waiting to go also.

I have the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the world;

and future generations are dying before me.  I am hopeless, hapless and helpless,

please celebrate me.

For democracy’s sake I stood all day on Election Day.

But before I could ink my thumb, results had been broadcast.

When I dared to speak out, silence was enthroned by bullets.

My leaders are my oppressors, and my policemen are my terrors.

I am ruled by men in mufti, but I am not a democracy.

I have no verve, no vote, no voice,

please celebrate me.

My youth have no past, present nor future.

So my sons in the North have become street urchins;

and his brothers in the South have become kidnappers.

My nephews die of thirst in the Sahara and his cousins drown in the Mediterranean.

My daughters walk the streets of Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt;

while her sisters parade the streets of Rome and Amsterdam.

I am grief-stricken,

please celebrate me.

Pen-wielding bandits have raided everything in my vaults.

They walk the land with haughty strides and fly the skies with private planes

They have looted the future of generations unborn;

and have money they cannot spend in several lifetimes,

but their brothers die of starvation.  I want a kit of kindness,

please celebrate me.

I can produce anything, but import everything.

So my toothpick is made in China; my toothpaste is made in South Africa;

my salt is made in Ghana; my butter is made in Ireland;

my milk is made in Holland; my shoe is made in Italy;

my vegetable oil is made in Malaysia my biscuit is made in Indonesia;

my chocolate is made in Turkey and my table water made in France.

My taste is far-flung and foreign,

please celebrate me.  

To think that Malaysia came to NIFOR in Edo State in the 70's to acquire the Palm Oil Technology

 

My land is dead because all the trees have been cut down;

flooding kills thousands yearly because the drainages are clogged;

my fishes are dead because the oil companies dump waste in my rivers;

my communities are vanishing into the huge yawns of gully erosion, and nothing is being done.

My very existence is uncertain and I am in the deepest depths of despondence,

please celebrate me.

I have genuine leather but choose to eat it.

So I spend billions of dollars to import fake leather.

I have four refineries, but prefer to import fuel,

so I waste more billions to import petrol. I have no security in my country,

but send troops to keep peace in another man’s land.

I have hundreds of dams, but no water.

So I drink ‘pure’ water that roils my innards.

I need a vision,

please celebrate me.

I have a million candidates craving to enter universities,

but my dungeons can only accommodate a tenth.

I have no power, but choose to flare gas,

so my people have learnt to see in the dark and stare at the glare of naked flares.

I am shrouded by darkness,

please celebrate me.

For my golden jubilee,

I shall spend 16 billion Naira to bash around the bonfires of the banal.

So what if the majority gaze at my possessed, frenzied dance;

drenched in silent tears, as probity is enslaved in democracy’s empty cellars?

I am profligacy personified,

please celebrate me.

Why can I not simply reflect and ponder?

Does my complexion cloud the colour of my character?

Does my location limit the lengths my liberty?

Does the spirit of my conviction shackle my soul

Does my mien maim the mine of my mind?

And is failure worth celebrating?

 

I AM NIGERIAN, PLEASE CELEBRATE ME

Courtesy of Sisan Sagay, Nigerian in China.

BREAKING NEWS: CAR BOMB IN ABUJA AS NIGERIA TURNS 50

ABUJA - THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS OF EXPLOSIONS CAUSED BY CAR BOMBS IN THE CITY OF ABUJA JUST AS NIGERIA CELEBRATES ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY. UNCONFIRMED SOURCES REVEAL THAT THERE ARE AT LEAST THREE CASUALTIES.

NIGERIA HAS PLANNED SEVERAL ACTIVITIES TO MARK ITS GOLDEN JUBILEE JUST AS NIGERIANS IN THE DIASPORA PARTICIPATE IN LOCAL CELEBRATIONS.

POLITICIANS AND POLITICAL PARTIES HAVE RECENTLY ENGAGED IN SERIES OF CAMPAIGNS TOWARDS ELECTIONS FOR THE NEXT DISPENSATION.

BASHORUN DELE MOMODU SEEKS PRESIDENTIAL TICKET UNDER LABOR PARTY

Bashorun Dele Momodu has officially applied as presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP. in the 2011 presidential polls. The Labour Party presidential hopeful presented his formal Letter of Intent to the National Chairman of the party, Chief (Dr.) Dan Uwanyanwu on Wednesday September 15, 2010 at the party headquarters in Abuja.

Bashorun Dele Momodu who was accompanied by his Campaign Manager, Ohimai Godwin Amaize and other members of his campaign staff was warmly received at the Labour Party headquarters by the National Chairman, Chief (Dr.) Dan Uwanyanwu; Deputy National Chairman Alhaji Ali Abacha, National Secretary, Alhaji Abdulsalam Abdulkadir Salam. 

Presenting the two-page letter and a series of other documents, Bashorun Dele Momodu extolled the great vision of Labour Party under its current leadership as the last hope of the common man unlike some other parties that have been taken over and corrupted by the highest bidder phenomenon. 

In his response, Chief (Dr.) Dan Uwanyanwu commended the courage, foresight and vision of Bashorun Dele Momodu describing him as a loyal and financial party member since he joined Labour Party early last year. He also noted that by this letter, Momodu is the first member of the party who has so far officially declared his aspiration to be the party's presidential flagbearer in the 2011 presidential election. 

TEXT OF APPLICATION LETTER

RE: REQUEST TO BE THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE OF LABOUR PARTY IN 2011

I wish to formally request the pleasure of our great party to be the flag bearer during the Presidential election coming up on January 22, 2011.

I have been a very loyal member of Labour Party since I met you personally in Abuja early last year. I was deeply encouraged by your vision of making the Labour Party the hope of ordinary Nigerians who have been yearning for good governance and accountability. I remember in particular your dream of giving Nigeria her own Obama. 

The time has now come for all members of our party to pick the right candidate who can fulfill the dreams and aspirations of Nigerians. And we must stand out as a party of the common man and not that of the highest bidders who are on the prowl to buy up any available party.

It is for this reason and purpose that I humbly present myself as the perfect choice for this important mission.

Please, permit me to quickly enumerate the basis for my assertion.

• I hold both First and Second Degrees from the University of Ife, now Obafemi  Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

• I have worked variously as a teacher, journalist, businessman, publisher, social crusader, public speaker, polemicist, publisher, political activist, etc.

• I have extensive networks cutting across all strata of society, including government, business, entertainment, media, world leaders, etc.

• I cut across two regional zones, the South/South and the South/West, with my father from Ihievbe, Edo State, and my mum from Gbongan in Osun State.

• I represent the delicate religious balance in Nigeria, with my grandparents who were Muslims and parents who were Christians.

• I’m a fresh blood who has not been tainted by political appointments or public office. Most of the current aspirants carry one negative baggage or the other, with criminal charges dangling on some of them.

• I have demonstrated the traits of a competent builder with the way I have built a global brand from scratch.

• I’m one of the most popular Nigerians around today cutting across all ethnic groups. I have interacted with Nigerians at home and abroad in over 60 countries.

• I have an excellent relationship with local and international media.

• I would be able to raise funds through the youths who see me as their role model as well as members of the business community who are hoping Nigeria would have a cerebral bridge-builder, a successful businessman, a dependable ideologue and a visionary leader as President, opposed to the rabble-rousers who would further inflame our polity.

• My candidacy would enjoy worldwide appeal and acclaim.

• I have a formidable collection of campaign materials and they are ready to be deployed as soon as I’m privileged to secure the ticket of our great party.

Other relevant materials are attached.

Sir, I would be most delighted to answer any further enquiries on this application.

Together we shall move this nation to greater heights. 

Best wishes.

DELE MOMODU

11 THINGS TO NOTE ABOUT DELE MOMODU

1. The Technocrat: He is the man who without access to public funds, successfully built a brand in less than 10 years from zero level to Superbrand status.

2. The Democrat: He is the man who has proven himself a tested, trusted and tried democrat. We cannot forget how he was thrown into detention and almost lost his life for the June 12 struggle.  He was also forced into exile in London.

3. The Politician: He is the man we describe as the experienced politician who understands the art of politics well enough but has not been corrupted by power. He connects effortlessly with all classes of the Nigerian people.

4. The Media Icon: He is the man who has contributed over 2,000 essays to national discourse on all issues affecting Nigeria. He has caused a major revolution in African publishing. 

5. Mr. Integrity: He is the man who stands proven in business as an enterprise builder committed to the values of integrity. No business has ever failed in his hands. His business associates attest to his uprightness and he has made a success of all his business concerns. 

6. Mr. Transparency: He is a true homeboy who has made his personal life and conduct open to all without pretending to be who he is not. Our Bob Dee: friend of the rich; brother to the poor. 

7. A Large Heart: He is the dream builder and philanthropist who within his modest resources has empowered others to stand on their own. 

8. A Global Citizen: He is a world-traveller, a worthy son of Africa, and ambassador plenipotentiary for Nigeria. A friend of many nations, respected by presidents and world leaders.

9. A Worthy Protégé: He is the loyal godson of Nigeria's martyr of democracy and has become MKO Abiola's biggest gift to Nigerian politics. 

10. The Underrated: He is the dark horse but now the game-changer in Nigerian politics. He is the man who holds the key to the new Nigeria of our dreams. He remains resolute and motivated by the possibilities available for a new Nigeria. 

11. Harbinger of Change: He is the embodiment of HOPE in a new Nigeria; the symbol of unity for a one Nigeria.   

Auto Sales Decline in the USA

August 2010 has been declared the worst month for auto sales in the USA since 1983 when the country was at the end of a double-dip recession. Major auto brands in the USA including GM, Toyota, Honda and Ford all reported declines from July.

Sales actually fell about 5% in August as compared to July 2010. Barely a year ago, the Governments "cash for Clunkers" program boosted auto sales especially for fuel efficient cars by offering rebates for up to $4,500 for trade-ins.

High unemployment and the shaky housing market have made American's reluctant to spend money. Overall, sales at ford were down 5% from July and 11% from last August. At Toyota, sales dropped 34% compared with last August and 12% from July. For Nissan, Subaru and KIA, sales fell about 7% while for Honda, 3% was the drop in sales value.
 by Tosan Aduayi for flowtran Global.
 flowtranglobal@gmail.com

Support needed to treat Rare ailment

Jennifer Uchenna Okoro (1988 - 2010)
We regret to announce the passing of Ms Okoro on the 26h of December 2010. She had been diagnosed with metastatic neuroendocrine tumor. She is the 22 year old daughter of Nkem and Donald Okoro and was scheduled to graduate with an associate degree in Science from Houston Community college in May 2010 and would have also proceeded to UT in San Antonio to pursue a degree in dental hygiene.

ABOUT:

Neuroendocrine tumors include such tumors as adenomas from the pituitary gland, islet cell tumors from the pancreas, pheochromocytoma and neuroblastoma from the adrenal medulla, medullary thyroid carcinoma from the C-cells of the thyroid gland, carcinoid tumors from the gastrointestinal tract (or less often from the lung), and paragangliomas.
Generally, anatomic and/or physiologic-functional imaging for neuroendocrine tumors is reserved for patients who present with a clinical history that is suspicious for a neuroendocrine tumor, supported by elevated levels of primary hormones and/or metabolites in the plasma and/or urine. 


Space donated by - www.graceforvictims.org

And He Declared

Its 7:30am, central United States time zone. I am at my desk; home desk sipping on a mug of very hot antioxidant tea with honey and milk added to taste. My cell phone, fully charged is located next to the 24 inches computer monitor waiting to be picked up.


Just as I reach the phone to begin scanning through the nights messages, it begins to vibrate. At this moment, my mind zero’s in on a thousand possibilities. The caller I.D plays its role.

“The Publisher!” it’s just the way I prefer to address the caller (honestly, the term publisher fits him better than “triple Chief; just my opinion though).

Chief Ayobamidele Momodu A.K.A Bob Dee may be known to thousands of admires in different ways but he comes to me as a classic and chronic communicator who makes it a ritual to reach out to his associates anywhere in the world he finds himself. As long as I’ve known him in the corporate world, he has always carried a set of at least three cell phones at any given time anywhere in the world. “Tosan, I am going to run for Presidency…”

Here, he recalls his past in a recent article published on thisday and titled; “On the Wings of time”. Time indeed is the ultimate referee. No matter who you are and the circumstance of your birth, only time can tell who and what you will become. Time will always blow the whistle at every stage of your life. And you move from one game to another. Sometimes you win, sometimes you don’t. What is baffling is the rapidity with which time moves. Time catches up with everyone ultimately. As I look back in time, I seriously wonder where all that time has gone.

It seems like yesterday, when that little boy was born in the ancient city of Ile-Ife on May 16, 1960. His parents had searched for this child for years though the couple each had two children from previous marriages. As their prayers were answered, they rejoiced and named him Joseph, the dreamer. And no razor touched his head for the first three years, as it was foretold that he was a child of destiny. At the Church of the Lord Aladura in Obalufon where he was born, the prophets offered marathon prayers. And they fasted to no end. This child must survive, they told the good Lord. And he did.

At age six, his parents felt it was time for school. In those funny days, eligibility was determined by your ability to stretch your right hand over your head to touch your left ear. I still wonder till this day what happened to those with short hands. Theirs must have been a case of automatic disqualification. Despite not being a pigmy, Joseph’s hand was not long enough for the first headmaster he encountered at a primary school in Ilare. He was advised to try his luck in the next year’s session.

His parents were not amused by the rejection of a boy they had placed so much hope on. They tried another headmaster who was more benevolent. And he told them not to worry, and that he was ready to admit the little boy. In those days, most schools were public schools, or were owned by the missionaries whose primary mission was to evangelise the people and open up their eyes to western civilisation. The kids had unfettered access to free copies of the Bible, and leaflets known as tracts. The Whiteman’s religion taught the kids not to steal, not to tell lies, to obey their parents, and forgive their enemies countless times. They were to pray before every meal and pray thereafter. Many of the kids opened one eye lest their meals got stolen by the bad boys. Even in those good old days, there were bad boys who loved double rations. The seniors regularly bullied their juniors. Joseph was lucky to have a protective senior who kept him away from the bullies.
http://www.photoreflect.com/store/Orderpage.aspx?pi=0YSC0030000000&po=0&pc=7
The Local Authority school was small but serene. The teachers were smart and good. They worked hard at keeping the pupils busy. They were selfless and ready to wait for their rewards in heaven. The headmaster rode his Lamberetta motorbike with pride. It was a look-alike of the popular Vespa brand. The aroma of his coffee was strong and tantalising. Most kids trekked to school, and this made them agile. The gap between the rich and the poor was narrow. They mingled freely. And no one felt oppressed.

Joseph would always remember the civil war and his many family friends who disappeared forever. It was a terrible time when friends turned against one another in a senseless war of attrition. Those friends who kept some of their things with Joseph’s family came back to meet them intact. And it was a happy reunion. Others were not so lucky. They met nothing. Many were stranded and homeless. Throughout the war, it was difficult to communicate. Telephony was archaic and backward. The landline in Joseph’s house was more cosmetic than useful. To make an international call, you needed to dial the Osogbo Exchange of Post & Telecommunications, where you booked a call to Europe or America. You had to exercise the patience of a snail by staying glued to your box in expectation of the almighty operator. If you were lucky, you got hooked up in 24 hours. Just imagine that you had to keep vigil over ordinary telephone, and paid through your nose. There were Postal services. The fax or email of those days was called Telegram.

Life was simple but exciting. You ate omelettes on Sundays, and enjoyed rice and chicken on special occasions. Christmas was always extra special. It was time to partake in the giddiness of the season. Kids fired their loud bangers with a vengeance. Joseph was nearly ten when he visited the beautiful city of Ibadan. Ibadan of those days was like going to London. The departmental stores stocked an assortment of everything you found abroad. The Cocoa House was the Burj Khalifas of today. You looked forward to visiting Father Christmas at Leventis and Kingsway stores. The Liberty Stadium was one of its kind. Bodija Housing Estate was a paradise on earth. You drove through Oke-Ado and Oke-Bola and could not but notice the popular Odeon Cinema where lovers lived their romantic dreams. The jollof rice at Coco Dome was the best in Africa.

During holidays, you could find something to do if you wanted to. Joseph did cleaning jobs here and there because he was taught that there was dignity in labour. His father had died when he had barely turned 13. He was left in the care of his poor unlettered mother. The life of the family had nose-dived as soon as his father died. They were kicked out of their rented home. The only option was to squat with some relatives in Modakeke. Life was tough but tolerable. The West Africa School Certificate examination soon came knocking but the results were ugly. The 16-year old Joseph recorded a poor Grade Three. An attempt to secure a job with the poor grade so infuriated an Uncle who told Joseph to simply give up and learn how to become a typist. But his mum chose otherwise and asked her son to retake the exams. At a second attempt, tragedy struck again, in 1977, as there was mass leakage of the examination papers. Many results were cancelled or withheld. Joseph was instructed by his mum to try again.

Within that period, he had engaged himself variously as a village teacher, a library attendant, and so on. In 1978, mother luck smiled at him. He passed his exams, and also became a pioneer Jambite. He gained admission into Africa’s most beautiful campus at the University of Ife, to study Yoruba. Many wondered if he was such a dullard. He stuck to his guns and completed his studies in good time. He immediately went on National Service and taught A-Level Yoruba.

Thereafter, he became a Private Secretary to a former Deputy Governor, Chief Akin Omoboriowo. He left that job to work for one of Africa’s most powerful monarchs, The Ooni of Ife Oba Okunade Sijuwade II. From there he returned to his former University to bag a degree in Literature-in-English, a rarity after a first degree in Yoruba. On completion of his Master’s programme, he wanted to be a University teacher but fate had other plans for him. He couldn’t get a job because the military government had placed an embargo on appointments and promotions in the universities. That was the beginning of the slide into anarchy in our higher institutions.

A jobless and frustrated Joseph was advised to travel to Lagos in search of greener pastures, and was lucky to get a job at the African Concord magazine as a Staff Writer. In no time, he sparkled on his job and was soon moved with others to start what would become Nigeria’s biggest weekend paper, Weekend Concord. His boss soon got attracted to his style of reportage, and he earned several promotions. In 1990, Joseph got an offer that made him the highest paid editor in Nigeria when he became the Editor of Classique magazine. His meteoric rise was just beginning. He resigned in less than two years and had to try his hands in trading when he distributed Wonder Loaf.

He also started a public relations outfit and handled projects for Chief Moshood Abiola, Dr Mike Adenuga Jnr., Mr Hakeem Belo-Osagie, and others. In 1992, he made history when he was invited by Mr Nduka Obaigbena to help midwife his new project Leaders & Company, which would give birth to Africa’s most prestigious newspaper, THISDAY.

Joseph left the job after recruiting some of the finest journalist of the time to go into politics with his mentor, Chief Moshood Abiola who contested the presidential election, and clearly won, on June 12, 1993. For no justifiable reason, the election was cancelled by the military government of General Ibrahim Babangida. This forced Joseph and many Nigerians to wage a major campaign against the military government. This landed the man who had only married months earlier to be locked behind bars between July and August 1993. He returned from detention and carried on with the campaign for the revalidation of the best election ever held in Nigeria.

In 1995, he got into a bigger trouble when the military government of General Sani Abacha forced him into exile on allegations of treasonable acts by participating in the operations of a pirate radio station, known as Radio Freedom before it was changed to Radio Kudirat. Joseph fled Nigeria and escaped to Great Britain. He had cried his heart out as he crawled out of Nigeria through the smugglers’ route into Benin Republic from where he travelled to Togo and Ghana, and eventually to London. Unknown to him his life as a refugee in Great Britain would change his status forever. He and his family were granted full asylum. His life came full cycle as the man of humble beginning started what would cause a major revolution in African journalism. That dreamer is no other than your columnist, Dele Momodu who turns 50 tomorrow. How time flies!

This piece will generally recall my experiences with “the publisher” in the previous years that I have been associated with him. Watch out for additional details intermittently.

Tosan Aduayi is the founder and publisher of Trendy Africa Media and writes from Dallas.
Contact; info@trendyafrica.com

WEB HD VIDEO PROMO

Oyedeji, budding basketball player dies in Crash

Houston - Tobi Oyedeji dropped his last friend off after prom night, called his father Mike Kunle Oyedeji and told him he was on his way home early Sunday morning. The 6-foot-9, 220-pound, 18-year-old power forward from Bellaire High in Bellaire, Houston, Texas -- who was destined to be an impact player for Texas A&M in the fall and committed to studying engineering -- never made it to his house.

Oyedeji was in a head-on collision shortly after the phone call home and died after attempts at life-saving surgery weren't successful Sunday afternoon, according to Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon. "He was an only child," a distraught Turgeon said of Oyedeji, whose parents, Mike and Nikki, are said to be in immense emotional pain. "This is really tough on them. I'm just hurting so much for his mom and dad right now." Turgeon said he didn't have any other details of the crash.

He said he was in California early Sunday morning when he received the first phone call that Oyedeji had been in an accident and was in intensive care heading into surgery. Turgeon said a few hours later, as he was boarding his flight back to Houston, he was told that Oyedeji died. "I loved that kid," Turgeon said. "I loved that kid. This is really, really hard." Turgeon said Oyedeji was the first player he recruited when he took the job three years ago. "This has been a three-year relationship, we were really close," Turgeon said. "From the first day he came to our camp, I knew he was coming to Texas A&M.

He was going to be an engineer. This was the perfect place for him." Turgeon last saw Oyedeji at a workout in April and said he told his assistant coaches that Oyedeji was going to help the Aggies quite a bit next season. Oyedeji had been on campus apparently five to seven times a season in the past three years. "He was going to be a big part of our program," Turgeon said. "More than just basketball, his personality, his character, he would have helped us in so many ways.

He was a great student. He epitomized the values we have here." Turgeon said details on the memorial service will be provided early this week. He added that the Aggies will do something in memory of Oyedeji next season, but to what extent and how it will be done is still undetermined.

Agency Reports by Trendy Africa

Global Climate Change – What Nigeria must do

The Federal Government of Nigeria must begin to look at the potential opportunities for Nigeria to derive maximum benefits from the outcome of the recently concluded United Nations Framework Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC) in Copenhagen, Denmark.


To achieve an optimum benefit for Nigeria, not only is it imperative that policy makers fully understand the social, economic, environmental, financial, technological and political issues around the subject, but the generality of Nigerians need to be widely aware of changes in the global village they live in especially in the way energy is to be viewed in the wider world around going forward. As the subject of Climate Change is somewhat technical, it may suffice to give a background on the subject before driving us through to the point we have reached so far. This is what these series of articles on the subject will try to achieve.

Early contributors to climate change include Fourier, Langley and Arrhenius. That the climate is changing is not contestable but what is being argued over the years borders on the main causes of climate change. Climate change is made possible by the increase in the atmospheric concentration of Green House Gases (GHG) such as Carbon IV Oxide (CO2), Nitrous Oxide (NO2), Methane (CH4), Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC), Perfluorocarbon (PFC), and Sulfurhexafluoride (SF6). All these gases absorb terrestrial infra red radiations.

The Green House (GH) effect is uncontested as without it, the earth would have been 33 degrees cooler. We average 15 degrees now but would have been -18 degrees. Infrared radiation from the high temperature sun has short wavelength. This is absorbed by the earth and some are reflected by both the earth and the atmosphere. The proportion absorbed by the earth warms up the earth to the suitable temperature required for the earth. With increasing concentration of GHG in the atmosphere, infra red radiations reflected into the atmosphere are absorbed and re-emitted to the earth.

This tends to increase the average temperature on the earth surface once the concentration increases without any control. The balance between the incoming and outgoing radiation has always fluctuated from time immemorial in terms of the atmospheric constituents, their relative composition and concentration, solar variations etc and so has the corresponding changes in the climate. What has remained an argument is the degree to which the actions of mankind have contributed to this imbalance. This is the so called Anthropogenic Climate change which is Contestable.

The disagreement exists on the degree to which human induced changes in the atmospheric make-up have altered the balance of the incoming and outgoing radiations. To begin with, water vapour which is about 1% of the atmosphere is responsible for 60 to 70 % of GH effect while all the other gases in the atmosphere, collectively making up approximately 0.04% of the atmosphere, are responsible for the rest 30 to 40% of Green House Effect. In terms of the radiative forcing, the Halocarbons are the most feared among GHG, followed by Nitrous Oxides and Methane before the least effect can be attributed to Carbon 1V Oxide.

The global warming potential (GWP) is normally used to categorize the warming effect of GHG indexed to a molecule of CO2 integrated over 100 years. CO2 has a GWP of 1, Methane-21, NO2–310, Perfluorocarbons-9,200, Hydrofluorocarbons-11,700, Sulphur hexafluoride–23,900.

Emissions from GHG are quantified as carbon equivalents in one of two ways viz CO2 emission and Carbon emission. 1 tonne carbon is 3.7 tonne of CO2 (relative to molecular weight). If you consider the global flow of carbon today to be circa 200GTp.a, and that human-emission of carbon is 7.5GTp.a (this includes human carbon added to the atmosphere of about 3.4GTp.a), you will see that there has been a 32% increase in atmospheric carbon concentration since 1800. Infact, the changes in the concentration of the main GHG in the atmosphere from pre-industrial level to early 2001 reveal that NO2 increased from 275ppbV to 316ppbV (increase of 15%), CO2 increased from 280ppmV to 370ppmV (increase of 32%), and CH4 from 700ppbV to 1786ppbV (155% increase).

The measurements no doubt show the atmospheric concentration of GHG is increasing which may imply that global and regional temperatures are rising. Added to this, similar measurements have proved that sea levels are rising in consistency with the predictions made by earlier climate scientists. However, like every scientific hypothesis or conclusions, these measurements have degrees of accuracies or put in another way, uncertainties. For example, the uncertainties in the scientific analysis respecting temperature rises is that as the temperature rises, the degree of radiative forcing is modified by climate feedbacks, some positive (making it warmer) and others negative (making it cooler).

Also, there are uncertainties associated with these feedbacks (water vapour, cloud, ocean circulation, ice snow albedo, land-surface/atmosphere interactions) which have given rise to a range of numbers associated with climate change with respect to temperature rises. One Inter Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report estimates an increase in global average surface temperature of 1.4 to 5.8 degrees by 2100.

About 90% of human emission comes from fossil fuel via transportation, heating, and electricity. The remaining 10% comes from Agriculture, traffic pollution and industrial processes. So, almost all human emission or pollution is from energy. To understand the contribution therefore of the biggest emitters or polluters in the world, the global average mean of 1 tonne carbon/person/year is a good yardstick for comparison. The USA had a figure of 7 tonne carbon/person/year, the entire European Union (EU) had 3, China had 0.3 and Nigeria had 0.1 as at 2001. This shows that 80% of all emissions are from 20% of the global population. What a paradox! The high carbon emitters are geographically and financially able to cope but the low carbon emitters suffer geographically and are financially unable to cope with the effects of climate change. To make it worse for the low emitters, they have less political influence in the global sense. Data from 1900 to 2004 shows that USA emitted 315GT of CO2, China- 89GT of CO2, Germany- 74GT of CO2, UK- 55GT of CO2, India- 25GT of CO2, Brazil- 9GT of CO2 and Indonesia- 6GT of CO2. (1GT equals 1012 Tonnes).

Scanning through the CO2 that countries put into the atmosphere over the past century might seem irrelevant to modern climate debates but when we consider historical emissions like per capita emissions, it is a bone of contention at any talks regarding climate change because developing nations will argue that any cuts should incorporate the principle of historical responsibility which in short means the rich and developed countries should pay in the near future for their considerable past contributions to global warming.

What needs to be done to derive the most benefits from the just concluded Climate talks lie with those who understand energy. The developed nations will put such people in charge but African leaders will allow nepotism, parochialism, anachronism, egotism, self aggrandisement, and quota system to rob them of their only remaining benefit in this millennium.

Idowu Oyebanjo contributes to Trendy Africa from the United Kingdom

Trendy Ways: The missing commander-in-chief.

Trendy Ways: The missing commander-in-chief.

The missing commander-in-chief.

Some of us are saying that "it took them long enough," while some are asking what next for Nigeria after the Nigerian Cabinet was ordered by the federal court to decide within 14 days if President Umaru Yar'Adua is fit to rule the country.
For anyone who is unfamiliar with the situation, the Nigerian President, who suffers from kidney disease is reportedly being treated for heart disease in a hospital in Saudi Arabia. He left the country on November 23, 2009.
When I first became aware of the fact that the President had left to get medical treatment from Saudi Arabia, I thought it was a joke. I have never heard of anyone going to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment, even residents and citizens of Saudi Arabia travels abroad for medical treatment, the king comes to the U.S. for medical checkups so what on earth made the people around Yar'Adua thinks that Saudi Arabia was the best place for him to receive treatment, I would have guessed that he was going on his last Hajj since he is a Muslim but medical treatment, only in Nigeria.
Before leaving the country, Mr. Yar'Adua did not sign an executive order that would have handed power albeit temporarily to his Vice President, Mr. Goodluck Jonathan. There have been various reports and rumors since he's left, some says he's dead and his wife is orchestrating a big cover up. Some say he's in a coma, while others especially Nigerian politicians are insisting that he's as healthy as you and I, and they would have us believe that he's just resting in a presidential suite somewhere taking a break from governing.
 it is all well and good for him to take a break, who doesn't need one from time to time, and I can well `imagine trying to govern a country like Nigeria, but for two months without anyone catching a glimpse of him. I guess stranger things have happened, but a complete absence has not improved the country he left behind.
With the way Nigeria is and being conscious of the history and racial tensions, it is not a surprise that no one is quite sure of what to do, and the fact that all our political leaders are corrupt embezzlers who have good reasons not to trust each other and anyone is also a factor.
Nothing rarely surprises me about Nigeria anymore but even I am surprised by how long this has gone on for and the complacency of all involved. If he is alive and well like Dora Akinluyi, his spokesperson will have us believe, then why not put him on a web cam if he is too ill to stand in front of a full camera, I don't think they've heard the saying "seeing is believing." They want 150 million people to take their word for it, that's a whole lot of faith in people who haven't done anything to earn it. Someone told me that he doesn't have to proof anything to anyone but I say to the poor deluded people thinking the same, that he does, a president cannot just disappear, even in Nigeria. He has a moral obligation to the office he has sworn to uphold, and to the people of the country.
Perhaps the best case for the remover of the President is the disastrous and inadequate response to the attempted terror attack by a Nigerian national aboard a flight headed for Detroit, Michigan on December 25, 2009. It wasn't until days after the incident and not until when the United States put Nigeria on the terror watch list alongside countries like Pakistan and Yemen that you couldn't get Ms. Akinluyi off the news protesting the innocence of Nigeria and Nigerians.
Recently a group of militants from the Niger Delta, killed a Nigerian guard and kidnapped a couple of foreign workers. Incidents like this attack shouldn't be happening because the militants were given amnesty by the President, but when the guy who could call them out is no where to be found, what do you expect.
This past week, chaos reigned in Jos, when the city's Christian and Muslim gangs decided to stage their own version of religious war, the military is now in charge of the city. Nothing about this latest religious battle is new to anyone familiar with Nigeria but the absence of a leader and recent events makes these events seem all the more sinister. 
What next for Nigeria indeed?
Yetunde Adu.
D.C.

Nigeria joins infamous list of TW 14

Washington DC - US terror watch lists have been radically revised after a foiled attack on a US-bound jet, a White House spokesman said, as tough new airport screening measures swung into effect. No thanks to Farouk Mutallab who has dragged Nigeria’s name into the TW 14.
Officials had conducted a major review of all the lists that determine whether a person is allowed to board a US-bound flight in a foreign country, spokesman Bill Burton said.
The Terror Watch (TW) countries include Algeria, Lebanon, Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Cuba and Nigeria.
The news came as President Barack Obama, who has denounced “systemic” intelligence failures in the Christmas Day plot, prepared to meet with US intelligence chiefs and security officials on Tuesday to review the findings of two probes into the plot.
Obama has directly linked the Al-Qaeda network, responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, to the botched bid to blow up a Northwest jet with 290 people on board on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit.
The administration has also ordered tight new security measures for passengers flying to the United States after a 23-year-old Nigerian, Umar Farouk Abdul mutallab, allegedly tried to bring down the jet.
Travelers flying from or via 14 countries including Iran, Nigeria and Yemen will have to undergo mandatory enhanced screening before boarding their US-bound flights, under the new rules.

Historic Diversity in Plain Terminology

The Central Bank Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, surprised guests present at the Muson Centre for the launching of the book of Sir Olaniwun Ajayi at the Muson Centre in Lagos. The book titled: “Nigeria, Africa’s failed asset?” attracted many important dignitaries, intellectuals and some governors.

The argument by discussants centered on whether or not the colonial masters laid the foundation for the problems Nigeria is currently facing. Many argued that the British loved the North and that was why it gave more than 50 percent of the National Assembly seats to the North at independence. Sanusi, however, stole the show when he spoke. His speech was anchored on the plank that the British and Nigerian rulers are responsible for the state of the situation Nigeria finds itself today. Below is his unedited speech.

“Let me start by saying that I am Fulani (laughter). My grandfather was an Emir and therefore I represent all that has been talked about this afternoon. Sir Ajayi has written a book. And like all Nigerians of his generation, he has written in the language of his generation. “My grandfather was a Northerner, I am a Nigerian. The problem with this country is that in 2009, we speak in the language of 1953. Sir Olaniwun can be forgiven for the way he spoke, but I can not forgive people of my generation speaking in that language. “Let us go into this issue because there are so many myths that are being bandied around. Before colonialism, there was nothing like Northern Nigeria. Before the Sokoto Jihad, there was nothing like the Sokoto caliphate. The man from Kano regarded himself as Bakane.

The man from Zaria was Bazazzage. The man from Katsina was Bakatsine. The kingdoms were at war with each other. They were Hausas, they were Muslims, they were killing each other. “The Yoruba were Ijebu, Owo, Ijesha, Akoko, Egba. When did they become one? When did the North become one? You have the Sokoto Caliphate that brought every person from Adamawa to Sokoto and said it is one kingdom. They now said it was a Muslim North. “The Colonialists came, put that together and said it is now called the Northern Nigeria. Do you know what happened? Our grand fathers were able to transform to being Northerners. We have not been able to transform to being Nigerians. The fault is ours. Tell me, how many governors has the South West produced after Awolowo that are role models of leadership? How many governors has the East produced like Nnamdi Azikiwe that can be role models of leadership? How many governors in the Niger Delta are role models of leadership? Tell me.

There is no evidence statistically that any part of this country has produced good leaders. You talk about Babangida and the economy. Who were the people in charge of the economy during the Babangida era? Olu Falae, Kalu Idika Kalu. What state are they from in the North? “We started the banking reform; the first thing I heard was that in Urhobo land, that there will be a curse of the ancestors. I said they (ancestors) would not answer. They said why? I said how many factories did Ibru build in Urhobo land? So, why will the ancestors of the Urobo people support her? “We talk ethnicity when it pleases us. It is hypocrisy.

You said elections were rigged in 1959, Obasanjo and Maurice Iwu rigged election in 2007. Was it a Southern thing? It was not. “The problem is everywhere in this country, there is one Hausa, Ibo, Yoruba and Itshekiri man whose concern is how to get his hands on the pile and how much he can steal. Whether it is in the military or in the civilian government, they sit down, they eat together. In fact, the constitution says there must be a minister from every state. “So, anybody that is still preaching that the problem of Nigeria is Yoruba or Hausa or Fulani, he does not love Nigeria. The problem with Nigeria is that a group of people from each and every ethnic tribe is very selfish. The poverty that is found in Maiduguri is even worse than any poverty that you find in any part of the South.

The British came for 60 years and Sir Ajayi talked about few numbers of graduates in the North (two at independence). What he did not say was that there was a documented policy of the British when they came that the Northerner should not be educated. It was documented. It was British colonial policy. I have the document. I have published articles on it. That if you educate the Northerner you will produce progressive Muslim intellectuals of the type we have in Egypt and India. So, do not educate them.

It was documented. And you say they love us (North). “I have spent the better part of my life to fight and Dr. (Reuben) Abati knows me. Yes, my grandfather was an Emir. Why was I in the pro-democracy movement fighting for June 12? Is (Moshood) Abiola from Kano? Why am I a founding director of the Kudirat Initiative for Nigerian Development (KIND)? “There are good Yoruba people, good Igbo people, good Fulani people, good Nigerians and there are bad people everywhere. That is the truth. “Stop talking about dividing Nigeria because we are not the most populous country in the world. We have all the resources that make it easy to make one united great Nigeria. It is better if we are united than to divide it. “Every time you talk about division, when you restructure, do you know what will happen? In Delta area, the people in Warri will say Agbor, you don’t have oil.

When was the Niger Delta constructed as a political enlity? Ten years ago, the Itshekiris were fighting the Urobos. Isn’t that what was happening? Now they have become Niger Delta because they have found oil. After, it will be, if you do not have oil in your village then you can not share our resources. “There is no country in the world where resources are found in everybody’s hamlet. But people have leaders and they said if you have this geography and if we are one state, then we have a responsibility for making sure that the people who belong to this country have a good nature. “So, why don’t you talk about; we don’t have infrastructure, we don’t have education, we don’t have health. We are still talking about Fulani. Is it the Fulani cattle rearer or is anybody saying there is no poverty among the Fulani?”, he said

posted by Tunde Jeje on Facebook

See Wetin Farouk don Cause

Una see me see wahala o! Becos our person carry small gunpowder for plane to injure himself, all of us don become suspect. Una hear wetin happen recently? One of we people chop leaf for transatlantic flight na im e bele begin pain am. One hour to landing, bros still dey for toilet.

On dat note, dem take am as suspect, detain am, search am for some hours then eventually, release am. Na di problem we dey o! Na so e go bi for some time.

So my advice;

1. go on compulsory fasting before transatlantic flight

2. avoid all di medemede ingredients for baggage.

3. snuff is a no no

4. make una no sit down near wing

5. no use blanket cover ya body

6. make una no drink red wine and too much minerals

7. if you see dog, make you standa kampe.

8. make sure say piss time no pass 5 mins

9. wear jeans and t shirt

10. no look people eye too much

God go helep us o!

By Tosan Aduayi, Publisher, Trendy Africa. Trendy Africa is a Multi Media Production Company based in Texas and are Publishers of Trendy Africa Magazine, Trendy Africa Fashion Xtra and www.trendyafrica.comFor Inquiries, please call +1 817 538 2145

Actuate the Ratings for Nigeria

The fallout's from the extremist attempt by Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab over the American skies is far from over. The rules for travellers suddenly changes. Screening has intensified. You can't event get a piss within an hour from landing. Hey, no more red wine in excess and for coke lovers; that's it.

For those who carry Nigerian passports, I can only imagine. Okay. It's been Nigeria on all the news networks like never before. It's true that there in no news better than bad news. This even overshadowed the fact that the Nigerian president has been incapacitated for a while now. Who cares? Bomber comes into the scene; WE GET ALL OVER.

Thanks to the International media for giving Nigeria some Free Ratings and Exposure. This is our opportunity to SPEAK OUT on a positive note. Lets take advantage of the hype...In the USA, we have the best Pediatric, cardio vascular and bariatric surgeons, we have kids excelling in MIT, Columbia and Harvard, Sports is another story...the list is endless. Do not let one bad apple spoil the bunch. God Bless.

By Tosan Aduayi, Publisher, Trendy Africa. Trendy Africa is a Multi Media Production Company based in Texas and are Publishers of Trendy Africa Magazine, Trendy Africa Fashion Xtra and www.trendyafrica.com
For Inquiries, please call +1 817 538 2145

GREENER pastures…the way of the world

I am not trying to orchestrate the antics of the incredible Hulk neither am I trying to be a praying mantis in its deceptively camouflaged green skin. All I am simply indemnifying is an approach at inculcating the virtues of my immediate community.

The editorial team at Trendy Africa clearly understands the need to portray some level of social responsibility and as such we believe that the least we can do is to use our media outlet to educate and propagate the values of a GREEN EARTH.

I do not intend to go technical but it is imperative that I explain in simple words what this is about. Going Green basically means the ability to become environmentally friendly by today’s standards. This may be achieved by using less fossil fuels and not sending non bio degradable trash to the landfills or dumps. For instance, most grocery stores have adopted the use of re usable bags instead of the regular plastic bags that are non degradable. There is also a shift to the use of recyclable plastic bottles and aluminum cans.

Essentially, to “Go Green” is to adopt a mindset that is environmentally conscious. The idea is that when you are eco conscious, you will tend to make decisions that are more in tune with the environment, and live a more sustainable lifestyle.

Over the years, the earth’s population has continued to grow thus leading to extensive dependence on energy. Energy in turn is generated via the use of burning natural gas, oil, and coal which produce high levels of pollutants. Most of this waste has affected the ozone layer which is supposed to protect the earth form harmful rays from the sun. Other wastes pollute the soil and water which in turn affects the human food chain.

To prevent this, there is a shift to the use of solar panels which taps the suns heat and converts it to solar energy, Geo thermal energy which is a product from the heat under the earth, bio fuel and wind energy all of which produce zero or insignificant waste.

While some have seen the green concept as another global political scheme, studies have actually revealed that a shift to the green concept will reduce the depletion of living things on earth. Incentives are also given by some nations towards ensuring a greener earth. The Spanish Government for instance has earmarked $2.2M for green transportation initiatives. They also offer free parking to all electric vehicles. The US government has released a loan of $529M to Fisker Automotive for the production of plug in hybrid vehicles.

We at Trendy Africa have resolved to incorporate “Green” products in our production process with items such as bio degradable ink and recyclable paper.
In the spirit of Greener Pastures, we dedicate this edition to the green clean movement of the earth in our own unique trendy fashion.

This piece is the Publishers intro of our current Magazine edition Issue 4

The Year That Was

The year of the Lord, Two Thousand and Eight has come and gone. And what a year it was! At the end of the year, I was ruminating on the happenings from the past 12 months-the good, the not-so-good and the downright tragedies. This was no spring season, 2008 came in with a roar and ended with a bang.

It came in with a roar when on the night of January 3rd 2008, the whole world sat up to take notice when the scrawny black guy from Chicago toppled the Democratic Dynasty and came in first in the Iowa Primaries, giving a speech that left the hair on everyone’s skin raised. It left with a bang with the exposure of the largest, longest-running Ponzi scheme that left us wondering about otherwise intelligent people-what were they thinking? Was it avarice or a touch of stupidity or both?

An elderly acquaintance of mine who also happened to be Nigerian reminded me during a casual conversation that it was a Leap Year. ‘Strange things happen in a Leap Year’ she said, ‘we will not see these things again for another four years’. Mmmm…folk wisdom, you may say but I took a good look at this woman and went back to my office scratching my head. Putting aside my religious stand on astrology for a second, I decided to think about the possibility of a connection between Leap Years and unexpected happenings. Could this really explain the unprecedented bad and the ugly seen in this extra-ordinary year?

A year that heralded the collapse of Capitalism as we’ve always known it leaving senior apostles and evangelists of the financial doctrine biting their tongues during congressional hearings on what went wrong. Global financial strangulations, free-falling stocks, dried-up pension funds, job losses, home foreclosures, premature deaths, and all the negativities that came in 2008? Surviving the year alive and in good health was a cause for celebration and gratitude to God. I wish I could agree with my colleague on the Leap Year theory but my faith tells me it took more than the alignment of the stars.

But what about the good? The election of a first generation American of African heritage as POTUS? True, there have been first-generation American Presidents of European descent but the election of the son of an African man in a country where a good number of people still think of Africa as a place where people live on trees makes you wonder about divine ordination. The Olympic Opening Ceremonies are always worth looking forward to every four years, but I feel a deep compassion for the United Kingdom, slated next to live up to the extra-ordinary, spectacular and unbelievable Beijing Opening Ceremonies. I wish them luck.


My favorite fixation in 2008? The introduction of PALINESE into the American lexicon. Palinese is defined as a mish-mash of incoherent words and thoughts that do not convey any particular message in response to specific questions. When delivered from a pretty face, your knee-jerk reaction is to;

a) leave your jaws wide open in disbelief for 5 minutes at the risk of Temporo-mandibular dysfunction;

b)pinch yourself to check if you are in real time and space or

c) merely shake your head and close your eyes.

On the other hand, if you are from the opposing camp, you ogle at the combination of gorgeous beauty and determined grit and ignore that there was no substance in what you just heard. Whatever be the case, if only for the ability to consistently deliver these contrasting reactions, methinks the Wasilla Wonder Woman (W3) deserved to be TIME magazine’s 2008 Person of the Year. The Democrats must have felt upon her introduction to the world in August 2008, that Santa had come early. Between the fixation on Palinese and the economic catastrophe, the lucky winds shifted their way en-masse.

So long 2008! We welcome President Barack Hussein Obama and wish him all the best as he begins the hard work of actualizing his campaign promise of CHANGE. We underestimated him as being up to the task prior to his historic Iowa Primary win in January 2008. With the brilliant team he has put together, we will not underestimate him again. GO BARACK GO!!!

By MaryAnn Yonkers (buduebo@post.harvard.edu)

An Obama Win and the Black Man

I can not even begin to imagine the joy that people who have lived through segregation here and apartheid in south Africa must be going through to see a black man attain the highest political office world.

My heart goes out to them and I salute the courage of everyone who has ever stood up to segregation, racism and apartheid. Most black people are celebrating Obama's victory and everybody is talking about the change it will bring. But I keep asking myself, does this mean racism will stop? will I no longer experience overt or covert racism and stereotyping as a person of color? The answer is no.

Tomorrow, a white (or even a black) woman somewhere in the world will still cross the road when she is alone on a street and sees a black man walking towards her. Tomorrow someone is still going to be stopped and searched simply because of his color. Tomorrow someone will miss a great opportunity simply because of his color.So i ask what does Obama's win mean for the blacks?

Having thought deeply, I think it means those who have never dared to dream can dare to dream. It means u can wake up today and say; “I can fulfill my destiny no matter what my circumstances are".

To my thinking, this win means for the black person is Hope and a renewed commitment to your personal goals and vision. The change that we hope that this win will bring can only be achieved by us as individuals.

Do you have a vision or a purpose? if yes, begin to walk towards it with renewed strength knowing that circumstances cannot limit you. If no, now is the time to start dreamingwhatever your dreams are, keep on walking towards it. God helping you, you will get there.I salute President-elect Obama for daring to hope.

by Yemi Ayeni

Soda Machine

Life is like a Soda Machine. One day it's there offering multiple brands and tastes with the added luxury of ICE; the next day its OUT OF ORDER.

Life is Gamble

Back then in high school, certain individuals would always come out victorious on the chess board. I spent good time observing the trend but unfortunately did not develop an interest in the game. I just could not decipher the concept of two individuals racking their brains for hours over an imaginary medieval war.

The postulation from my consistent observation was that the winners or "check mate experts" were not necessarily the most brilliant guy's in class, but the smartest. How? the winners were often the group of guy's who never spent time in class and whose names were never called as the top five on exam results or routing tests.

Contrary to this, the other party would be the guy whose head would literally be smoking in class. The guy who would spend time in unknown zones. The guy whose name would always feature on the top 5 list. Then someday, some guy comes in from out of the blues and takes over the board.

look my friends (borrowed line), Life comes with all kinds of scenarios. There are those who are faced with certain opportunities, grab the chance and succeed over and over again. Then comes another group who always have greater chances, grab them and falter consistently even in the eye's of positive mathematical projections.

This may sound absurd but it does seem that life is a gamble and if it is; you just have to keep at it even though it seems to falter recurrently. Some of this situations are checks and balances for the future. You grab an opportunity, you take it up and try. Sometimes the fall is so hard that it really leads to a chain of catastrophe's but never give up.

Look at it this way, if millions of individuals had given up after trying, there would be no Las Vegas, Atlantic City or the great Atlantis. Last line: be smarter than intelligent. A combination of the two would even be better. So my friends, life is a gamble. You rather stay in and keep trying because one day will be yours or you pull up the hand brake and give up.

Any experiences? Post and share on comments.

Overloaded USA

This is USA. It gets overloaded from time to time and eventually sheds its "feathers"...Housing, Finance, Oil, Politics....

opinions welcomed.